Help repair Wispa’s mitral valve
Donation protected
Hello everyone. I’m Hannah, Wispa’s mummy. Those of you who know me, and soon those of you who don’t, will know that this little girl is my entire world. She came into my life when I was 14 years old and has changed my life in an inexplicable way. I don’t think anyone will understand the connection a human can have their pet until they experience it first hand, but when I say Wispa is my best friend, I mean that with every fibre of my being. She has been by my side through the most formative years of my life, and there’s not a doubt in my mind that my life would look very different without her. She has consistently been the reason I get up in the morning, there hasn’t been a day in 11 years that she hasn’t made me smile, and watching her grow up has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. My life hasn’t always been easy, but this little girl has been my constant and has kept me going.
When I was a medical student studying for my OSCEs (the exam that assesses you in clinically examining patients), Wispa became my willing assistant. Every day in our student house bedroom I would practice my clinical examinations on her. I became very familiar with the sounds of her heart through this, but what I didn’t count on was her committing so dutifully to the role that she developed real signs of her own to really test my diagnostic skills. She very suddenly developed a heart murmur - one associated with mitral valve regurgitation. Many dog breeds are prone to this, and unfortunately Wispa is one of these. When I heard her murmur I rushed her straight to the vet and she was started on a phenomenal drug called pimobendan (or Vetmedin). I remember the vet saying that it was lucky I caught it so quickly because even a short delay in diagnosis can lead to drastically different outcomes. For four years this miracle medication has kept her heart disease at bay, but unfortunately medical management of mitral valve disease is a palliative treatment. Eventually the disease would catch up with her and put a number on her days.
It caught up with her on 8th August 2024. I came home from work one day and found her distressed, lethargic, and breathless. It was my worst nightmare, but something I knew we couldn’t run away from forever. Wispa’s disease had progressed and she was now in something we call pulmonary oedema. This is where fluid backs up into the lungs and without treatment is rapidly fatal. I rushed my little girl straight to the emergency vets and she was started on a medication called furosemide to drain all of the fluid from her lungs. Medical treatment is a palliative treatment; it aims to delay the inevitable, but it will never fix the problem. Mitral valve disease is a surgical condition and is definitively treated with a valve repair. Due to the risks, financial costs, and the fact that there are only two centres in the UK who perform mitral valve repairs in dogs, surgical treatment is rarely an option.
With Wispa now being classed as an ACVIM Stage C mitral valve disease doggy (a class of dogs with her disease that have developed symptoms of congestive cardiac failure), the clock has officially and devastatingly started. The last data collected suggests a prognosis of 9-12 months survival from the first presentation of symptoms, however Wispa’s recent cardiology appointment has put her prognosis likely nearer to 2-3 months. Anyone who knows Wispa knows that that is tragic. This is a girl who would happily run a marathon tomorrow. This is a girl who chases sea foam across the beach with all the exuberance of a 2 year old dog. This is a girl who will hike the Peak District for 5 hours and then still have energy when she gets home to go again. This is not a dog who should have 9 months left. It is heartbreaking and unfair that her heart is ageing faster than she is, and neither of us are ready to say goodbye to each other yet. She has life left in her, and I will do everything in my power to let her live it for as long as she can and not let her genetically predisposed floppy heart valve call the shots.
Wispa is now eligible for valve repair surgery, and on paper appears to be an excellent candidate. She will still need screening by the doggy cardiothoracic surgeons, but her local cardiology vet suspects she is a prime candidate. The hitch? It costs at least £12k. The gold standard treatment is an open heart valve repair, which costs around £22k and has an almost 8 month waiting list. A newer and less invasive option is something called TEER: transcatheter edge-to-edge repair. This is a less invasive mitral valve repair, involving a hybrid of interventional and surgical techniques to repair the prolapsing valve. The benefit of this technique is it is around £12k, has a shorter waiting list, and a shorter recovery time. Wispa is a prime candidate for this on paper. She would need a pre-op screening echocardiogram to assess her heart, but if all goes according to plan, she may be able to have her heart disease reversed.
I will be doing everything I physically can to fundraise for this procedure. I plan to do car boot sales, devote all my Vinted earnings to her operation costs, door to door fundraising, dog walking/sitting, bake sales, and anything else I can possibly think of (suggestions very welcome!!!). God forbid the worst case scenario happen and I do have to say goodbye to my best friend sooner than I would like, I do not want to ever wonder if I could’ve done more. So here I am, setting up a GoFundMe for any donations towards Wispa’s care.
Now the bit I hate that I have to put into words but I need to say (but touch wood it never comes to this!!!!!): should the worst case scenario occur and Wispa does not make it to the table, every single penny will be returned. Every penny raised will go towards her treatment. Should I exceed my target and Wispa gets her treatment, all the excess funds will be donated to a charity for a related cause (charity yet to be found but I know I am not the only dog mummy in this position).
Thank you for taking the time to read about my best friend. Please follow @wispas_heart on Instagram and TikTok to follow along with our fundraising journey.
When I was a medical student studying for my OSCEs (the exam that assesses you in clinically examining patients), Wispa became my willing assistant. Every day in our student house bedroom I would practice my clinical examinations on her. I became very familiar with the sounds of her heart through this, but what I didn’t count on was her committing so dutifully to the role that she developed real signs of her own to really test my diagnostic skills. She very suddenly developed a heart murmur - one associated with mitral valve regurgitation. Many dog breeds are prone to this, and unfortunately Wispa is one of these. When I heard her murmur I rushed her straight to the vet and she was started on a phenomenal drug called pimobendan (or Vetmedin). I remember the vet saying that it was lucky I caught it so quickly because even a short delay in diagnosis can lead to drastically different outcomes. For four years this miracle medication has kept her heart disease at bay, but unfortunately medical management of mitral valve disease is a palliative treatment. Eventually the disease would catch up with her and put a number on her days.
It caught up with her on 8th August 2024. I came home from work one day and found her distressed, lethargic, and breathless. It was my worst nightmare, but something I knew we couldn’t run away from forever. Wispa’s disease had progressed and she was now in something we call pulmonary oedema. This is where fluid backs up into the lungs and without treatment is rapidly fatal. I rushed my little girl straight to the emergency vets and she was started on a medication called furosemide to drain all of the fluid from her lungs. Medical treatment is a palliative treatment; it aims to delay the inevitable, but it will never fix the problem. Mitral valve disease is a surgical condition and is definitively treated with a valve repair. Due to the risks, financial costs, and the fact that there are only two centres in the UK who perform mitral valve repairs in dogs, surgical treatment is rarely an option.
With Wispa now being classed as an ACVIM Stage C mitral valve disease doggy (a class of dogs with her disease that have developed symptoms of congestive cardiac failure), the clock has officially and devastatingly started. The last data collected suggests a prognosis of 9-12 months survival from the first presentation of symptoms, however Wispa’s recent cardiology appointment has put her prognosis likely nearer to 2-3 months. Anyone who knows Wispa knows that that is tragic. This is a girl who would happily run a marathon tomorrow. This is a girl who chases sea foam across the beach with all the exuberance of a 2 year old dog. This is a girl who will hike the Peak District for 5 hours and then still have energy when she gets home to go again. This is not a dog who should have 9 months left. It is heartbreaking and unfair that her heart is ageing faster than she is, and neither of us are ready to say goodbye to each other yet. She has life left in her, and I will do everything in my power to let her live it for as long as she can and not let her genetically predisposed floppy heart valve call the shots.
Wispa is now eligible for valve repair surgery, and on paper appears to be an excellent candidate. She will still need screening by the doggy cardiothoracic surgeons, but her local cardiology vet suspects she is a prime candidate. The hitch? It costs at least £12k. The gold standard treatment is an open heart valve repair, which costs around £22k and has an almost 8 month waiting list. A newer and less invasive option is something called TEER: transcatheter edge-to-edge repair. This is a less invasive mitral valve repair, involving a hybrid of interventional and surgical techniques to repair the prolapsing valve. The benefit of this technique is it is around £12k, has a shorter waiting list, and a shorter recovery time. Wispa is a prime candidate for this on paper. She would need a pre-op screening echocardiogram to assess her heart, but if all goes according to plan, she may be able to have her heart disease reversed.
I will be doing everything I physically can to fundraise for this procedure. I plan to do car boot sales, devote all my Vinted earnings to her operation costs, door to door fundraising, dog walking/sitting, bake sales, and anything else I can possibly think of (suggestions very welcome!!!). God forbid the worst case scenario happen and I do have to say goodbye to my best friend sooner than I would like, I do not want to ever wonder if I could’ve done more. So here I am, setting up a GoFundMe for any donations towards Wispa’s care.
Now the bit I hate that I have to put into words but I need to say (but touch wood it never comes to this!!!!!): should the worst case scenario occur and Wispa does not make it to the table, every single penny will be returned. Every penny raised will go towards her treatment. Should I exceed my target and Wispa gets her treatment, all the excess funds will be donated to a charity for a related cause (charity yet to be found but I know I am not the only dog mummy in this position).
Thank you for taking the time to read about my best friend. Please follow @wispas_heart on Instagram and TikTok to follow along with our fundraising journey.
Organizer
Hannah M
Organizer